Monday, November 30, 2009

Can't live without my computer, This is my lifeline!!!!!!!!!!! No e-mail network without a computer.

Then a new Phone Sunday!!!!!!!!!

All in 1 weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Best Parents in the world!!!!!!!!!!

2 new things in 1 weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next weekend will be exciting too!

Nazareth Football wants me at their Baquet Sunday and then MAonday is the Dream Come True Telethon!!!!!!!! Me and Gary Laubach!!!!!!!!!!

I am excited for both events next weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Easton for winning 3 games in 8 days!!!!!!!!! I Am rooting for them next week!

Since not many people did not read Friday's E-Mail I Would like to Dedicate this e-mail once again to Moran Mcginis who passed away in her home last Week. Reports that she hanged herself. It really sad if that is what happened to her. She is a 2008 Graduate of Nazareth High School. As I Said on Friday you really have to wonder what goes through people's mind when they do stuff like that.

Welcome Back Everybody!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did you eat a lot?

What did you do?

It went fast!!

I am all FAT Now!!!!!

Now I Need to lose Weight before Christmas!

I am pretty good!

I Was very busy all weekend!!

Here is my Thanksgiving Recap:

Wednesday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 6pm Announced College Basketball on Big Ten Network and at 10:20pm did the sports on CW57.

Thanksgiving Thursday at 10am Announced the Easton-P-Burg Football Game on WEEX 1230 And at 1:30pm WENT TO MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE TO EAT TURKEY AND MASHED POTATOES and then relaxed all night and at 10:20pm did the Sports on CW57.

Friday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 7pm Announced the Central Football Game on RCN4 And at 10:20pm did the news on CW57.

Saturday Listened to Keith Groller on 1470am 9-11am and relaxed and watched Football All Day and at Noon listened to Dick Hammer on 1470am do Lafayette Basketball and at 7pm Announced Parkland at Easton Football on RCN4 And at 10:20pm did the news on CW57.

Sunday at 11am did the Eagles Show on CBS 3 and at 6pm Announced Volleyball on Big Ten Network and at 7pm Announced 76ers Basketball on Comcast and at 10pm did the news on CW57.

Can't live without my computer, This is my lifeline!!!!!!!!!!! No e-mail network without a computer.

Then a new Phone Sunday!!!!!!!!!

All in 1 weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Best Parents in the world!!!!!!!!!!

2 new things in 1 weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next weekend will be exciting too!

Nazareth Football wants me at their Baquet Sunday and then MAonday is the Dream Come True Telethon!!!!!!!! Me and Gary Laubach!!!!!!!!!!

I am excited for both events next weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Easton for winning 3 games in 8 days!!!!!!!!! I Am rooting for them next week!

Since not many people did not read Friday's E-Mail I Would like to Dedicate this e-mail once again to Moran Mcginis who passed away in her home last Week. Reports that she hanged herself. It really sad if that is what happened to her. She is a 2008 Graduate of Nazareth High School. As I Said on Friday you really have to wonder what goes through people's mind when they do stuff like that.

Welcome Back Everybody!

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did you eat a lot?

What did you do?

It went fast!!

I am all FAT Now!!!!!

Now I Need to lose Weight before Christmas!

I am pretty good!

I Was very busy all weekend!!

Here is my Thanksgiving Recap:

Wednesday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 6pm Announced College Basketball on Big Ten Network and at 10:20pm did the sports on CW57.

Thanksgiving Thursday at 10am Announced the Easton-P-Burg Football Game on WEEX 1230 And at 1:30pm WENT TO MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE TO EAT TURKEY AND MASHED POTATOES and then relaxed all night and at 10:20pm did the Sports on CW57.

Friday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 7pm Announced the Central Football Game on RCN4 And at 10:20pm did the news on CW57.

Saturday Listened to Keith Groller on 1470am 9-11am and relaxed and watched Football All Day and at Noon listened to Dick Hammer on 1470am do Lafayette Basketball and at 7pm Announced Parkland at Easton Football on RCN4 And at 10:20pm did the news on CW57.

Sunday at 11am did the Eagles Show on CBS 3 and at 6pm Announced Volleyball on Big Ten Network and at 7pm Announced 76ers Basketball on Comcast and at 10pm did the news on CW57.

For November sweeps, The Jay Leno Show killed NBC10, as its 11 p.m. news with Tim Lake and Renee Chenault-Fattah limped into a third place finish with a 3 rating/5 share compared to a 5 rating/9 share in May - a 40% drop.

Leno gave NBC10 a 3 rating lead-in, compared to an 8 rating lead-in for 6ABC and a 9 rating lead-in for CBS.

6ABC with Jim Gardner led at 11 p.m. with an 8 rating/14 share. CBS3 with Chris May and Susan Barnett was second with a 7 rating/12 share.

In other noteworthy ratings news, at 6 p.m., 6ABC led with a 10 rating/18 share. CBS3 with a 4 rating/7 share was second and NBC10 came in third with a 3 rating/5 share. My Wife and Kids on myPHL17 came in fourth with a 2 rating/4 share, and Fox29 News came in fifth with a 2 rating/3 share.

At 10 p.m., Fox29 led with a 3 rating/5 share. myPHL News at 17 was second with a 1 rating/2 share, and the CW57 News was third with a 1 rating/1 share.

CBS3’s new show, Talk Philly, basically had the same ratings the news at noon had with a 3 rating/8 share. 6ABC news led with an 8 rating/24 share.

Also of note, the 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. period should be named the Dead Zone for NBC10. At 11 a.m., The 10 Show gets a 1 rating, followed by a 1 rating for Deal or No Deal at noon, a 0.4 rating for paid programming at 12:30 p.m., a 1 rating for Days of Our Lives at 1 p.m., and a 1 rating for The Martha Stewart Show at 2 p.m. Things perk up at 3 p.m. when Ellen comes on as she gets a 3 ratings.

Also, with the big news about Oprah’s departure in 2011, here’s what 6ABC will be missing - a 6 rating/14 share lead-in, more than double the ratings for the shows on NBC10 and and CBS3.

I was sad to hear about the death of Philadelphia television legend Al Alberts, who died at the age of 87 Friday at his home in Florida.

The Al Alberts Showcase ran for decades on Channel 6.

It’s been a noteworthy year for Channel 6 with the death of Gary Papa, the move out of the old building on City Line Avenue, the upcoming retirement of Dave Roberts, and the death of Alberts.

In another 6ABC tidbit, Michael Klein reported that 6ABC is not renewing the contract of weekend weather anchor Erica Grow at the end of the year. I was surprised. She seemed like she was doing a competent job.

HOUSE COMMITTEE MEETINGSNOTICESESSION SCHEDULEHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Notice is hereby given, in accordance with the Act of October 15, 1998, PL.729, No.93, that the House ofRepresentatives will convene in open session in the Hall of the House on the following 2009 dates:

While all area high school football fans will have their eyes set on Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for the WPIAL championship games, the state playoffs on the Road to Hershey officially begins this weekend with games throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday. Here is a rundown of the schedule for the first round of the 2009 PIAA Football Playoffs.

PIAA CLASS AAAA First Round:

Gateway Gators (12-0) vs Woodland Hills Wolverines (11-1) AT Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 27th at 8:00pm on msasports.net

State College Little Lions (10-2) - BYE

Bishop McDevitt Crusaders (11-0) vs Penn Manor Comets (10-2) AT Severance Field in Harrisburg on Saturday, November 28th at 1:00pm

West Lawn Wilson Bulldogs (11-1) vs Cumberland Valley Eagles (10-2) AT Gurski Stadium in West Lawn on Friday, November 27th at 7:00pm

The Morning Call now has a report on the All Day K movement in Nazareth and has some follow-up from the Intermediate School complaints raised last month at the school board meeting. Both were from the most recent school board meeting.

I think it is financially irresponsible to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on all day K when our financial position is so bad. We had a near 10% tax hike last year so the NASD could get more from its tax hike this year. No they didn’t need all that money, but they were allowed to up the tax hike due to exemptions so they did it.

Now instead of spending it on reducing our debt or more fully supporting existing services, we are going to invest in all day K, based on the success pilot students had on the PSSA.

There are several in the area worth checking out including the Nazareth Society of Model Engineers, whose display can be viewed in Stockertown each year. You can visit there Web site here: http://nasme.tripod.com/

Its a time of the year, that most of us look forward to, the holiday season. For some of us, it brings joy in our hearts, for others - stress. On Thursday, most people will be sitting down to eat their traditional Thanksgiving Dinner - with turkey, filling, a vegetable, etc. But, for 6 schools in District 11, there is another tradition that continues - Turkey Day Football !

On Thursday morning, Stroudsburg - East Stroudsburg South; Catasauqua - Northampton and Easton - Phillipsburg (NJ) will renewal their respective rivalries for another year. Easton - P’burg will be renewing their rivalry for the 103rd time; Northampton will be hosting Catasauqua for the 87th time and the Cavaliers will be hosting the Mounties for the 65th time in the Purple Pit.

Follow us on a Twitter page, KEYWORD: Pasportspage, for updates of all 3 of these games. You don’t need to have an account with Twitter, just click on the logo to the right to view the latest updates. For those of you who aren’t able to make it to the game, but live in the Lehigh Valley, tune into RCN (Channel 60) or Service Electric (Channel 51) to view the EASTON - P’burg game.

If you don’t live in the area, ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (www.espnlv.com) will be broadcasting the game on the internet and on the radio (1230AM/1320M).

Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa will call the Redskins-Eagles game at 1 p.m. on Fox.

Last week before the Eagles’ game on NBC, I caught former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis on Celebrity Poker on Fox. Bettis was replaced on NBC’s pregame show with Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison this season.

As November sweeps concludes tomorrrow, CBS3 sent out this press release:

CBS 3 IS ONLY TV STATION IN PHILADELPHIA MARKET

TO INCREASE AUDIENCE AT 6 AND 11 PM

Station remains strong number two in News;

Expansion of Eyewitness News This Morning to The CW Philly Makes Gains

Philadelphia, November 25, 2009 –CBS 3’s Eyewitness News is the only newscast at 6 and 11 p.m. in the Philadelphia market to show year-to-year ratings growth during the 2009 November Nielsen sweeps period. With one night remaining in the sweep, the 6 p.m. newscast is up 35 percent over last November, while the 11 p.m. newscast is up 10 percent in all television households.

The station, which moved into second place at 6 p.m. in May of this year, is now a solid second place newscast at 4, 6 and 11 p.m.

The team of Chris May and Susan Barnett, with Meteorologist Kathy Orr and Sports Director Beasley Reece, not only increased its number two position in households at 11 p.m. with a 6.6 rating/12 share versus a 6 rating/11 share in November, 2008, it also increased its lead over its competitors year-to-year among late news viewers. The team also saw gains at 6 p.m. with a 3.6 rating/7 share in households, up from a 3.3 rating/7 share last year.

Eyewitness News also saw gains on The CW Philly in the early morning. The expansion of the Eyewitness News morning program to The CW Philly from 7 to 9 a.m. in June gained viewers for The CW’s morning show, which is up 17 percent in households.

CBS3.COM is also continuing to see substantial growth. In October, page views for the site were up 60 percent, monthly uniques were up 9 percent and total visits were up 10 percent year to year.

“We definitely see a trend as more and more viewers choose Eyewitness News each ratings period,” says President and General Manager Jon Hitchcock. “We believe the overall brand has been helped by promoting across both stations, online and through unconventional venues.”

CBS 3 and The CW Philly joined the CBS Radio stations in Philadelphia in a joint venture this week, providing news content to digital newsstands across the city of Philadelphia. The stations have also begun promoting their programs on video advertising in local malls and have become a weather source for their five sister radio stations in the market.

“We realize that news consumer habits have changed dramatically,” adds Susan Schiller, vice president and news director for both stations, “so we are determined to offer our viewers information wherever they happen to be at any time of day. It’s a new world and we’re embracing it.”

CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and The CW Philly (WPSG-TV) are part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.

CBS3 meteorologist and animal advocate Carol Erickson is the author of the new children’s book “Not a Used Dog, At All.” The book’s illustrator is CBS3 graphic designer, Jeff McCloskey. It is available through http://www.authorhouse.com.

Connecticut based land and nursery company, Griffin, has an agreement to purchase 51 undeveloped acres in Lower Nazareth Township. It is the first real estate purchase outside of the Hartford, Connecticut area for the company according to their press announcement.

A month ago a group of parents went to the school board with a variety of complaints related to the Intermediate School, and the Express-Times reports that those concerns were addressed recently (read the article here).

In the article, officials indicated that bus times have been resolved, playground equipment is on order, walking paths are being created, lunch is being served on time, and tables in the science labs will be removed over the summer and replaced with traditional desks.

On the academic side of the issues, district Superintendant Victor Lesky said of the intermediate school's math program, "One thing we noticed right away was that when we merged the three elementary schools into the intermediate school there were differences. So we have to rethink our math groupings."

Math instruction was one of the academic issues brought up at Monday night's meeting.

At this time let's all take a moment and rememeber what Thanksgiving is all about.

It time to say Thanks for everything we been able to accomplished and all the people we have met and to be in love that we have families and time to get all together and meet on Holidays and eat and just spend time together as a family.

At the Dinner Table on Thursday let pause and remember all the people we have lossed.

Also we must remember all the men and women who are fighting for our country in Iraq and hope they all come home safe and sound real soon.I Also want to tell you to not Drink and Drive this weekend.

I Know I Might sound like a Broken Record but there are a lot of idiots out there on the roads during Holidays and you just never know. You might be normal but the person in the other car might be intoxiated and go crazy and run in to your car and then that would be awful.

Just look at my R.I.P. List and see how many great people that we have lossed.

Just this year we have lossed 35 people.

35 people since January. Its very sad.

We need to enjoy being with family and how lucky we are to have Parents. Some people out there don't even have Parents that are alive.

Thursday:THANKSGIVING DAY-HAPPY THANKSGIVING!8:30am Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on ABC69am Macy's New York Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC10am Announce Easton/P-Burg Football on WEEX 123012:30pm NFL FOOTBALL: Green Bay at Detriot2pm AT MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE FOR DINNER4pm NFL Football: Oakland at Dallas8pm NFL Football: NYG At Denver10pm Anchor the news on CW57

I have cried more tears tonight than I think I have in the last five, 10 years, combined.

I had braced myself for it. The last year or two I kept warning my wife "He's getting old. He's slowing down. We're not going to have him forever."

When I saw the movie "Marley and Me" last year, I cried all the way home from the theater because it was another reminder of what was coming one day for the Groller family.

"Toughen up, dammit!" I told myself. "You're going to have to be strong for the rest of the family when it happens."

And yet, despite feeling prepared, despite months of warning to all who cared about him and reminders to protect my heart when that moment came, my heart broke tonight. That moment that I knew was coming had finally arrived, much, much too soon.

I had to say good-bye to a dear, sweet friend tonight, a beloved member of the family -- my dog, Punkin.

Our precious chocolate lab died peacefully, his head on my lap, my hands stroking the back of his neck where I always had massaged him to give me as much comfort as him.

I don't expect everyone to understand. I expect a lot of cackles and snickers and snide comments from the people who read this blog. I don't care.

Unless you have a dog and have come to love him or her, you probably can't understand.

That's ok.

My colleague Bill White wrote one of the most beautiful things I've ever read in this or any newspaper when his dog died a few years ago. He summed it up perfectly, talking about the unconditional love a dog can give you.

I can't top his column, nor will I try. It was beautifully said. My head is spinning right now in my grief and I don't know if I can find it in our archives. If I knew I could, I'd re-print it here and say "read this" and then you'd know how I feel.

I remembered it touched my heart and made me drop the paper and hug Punkin tight the moment I was done reading it. So, I have to thank Bill again for that column because it gave me one more treasured moment with Punkin.

I'll gave the basic facts of Punkin's life.

He was born on Oct. 31, 1997 and we got him from a Lehighton-area family in early December of 1997.

Punkin Miller, a longtime family friend and my radio co-host at the time, made arrangements through one of his former ballplayers, Billy Polaha, and on a cold December morning we went to check a new litter of chocolate labs. My whole family at the time -- wife Margie, then 15-year-old son Chris and then 12-year-old daughter Emily -- had the pick of the litter if I remember. But we fell in love with a chunky one who seemed to arrive late to the party. "Chunky" and "Late" are two things that I've heard often in my life and right then and there, this particular dog was the one that seemed perfect for our family.

We named him Punkin because Punkin Miller had bought the dog for us and because he was born on Halloween.

And because we often had disagreements on our radio show, it was only natural for me to yell at a friend named Punkin.

But there really wasn't a lot of yelling with this Punkin through the years. He was trained easily and very seldom a problem.

He did -- like his master -- love food and there were a few Brass Rail cheesestakes and Domino's pizzas that vanished from the table when we dropped our guard and left the dining room table unattended.

In his 12 years with us, we had some major changes for Punkin to adjust to. The first huge surprise to come was a baby girl named Aimee in 2002 -- coming 17 years after Emily.

Some worried that Punkin would be jealous having to give up the attention to a newborn. No worries. No one was more protective of Aimee than Punkin.

When Emily stunned us by bringing home a cat to keep one day, we again thought this would be a major problem. Nah, Punkin wasn't even fazed even when the cat tried to torment him with a paw in the nose.

More recently, a granddaughter named Alexia Faith (Lexie) came into our lives and she'd crawl on the floor and go over to Punkin and poke him in the face. Again, never a reaction.

This dog was a gentle giant. It was ironic that he was so big and had a loud bark which served as a deterrent for anyone trying to break in our house. The truth is that had a burglar gotten into the house, Punkin may have jumped up on him, but only to lick his face.

He was a great comfort to me and Margie as we saw Chris and Emily grow up and move out to be with significant others of their own and Punkin's daily affection and unconditional love got us through many other tough situations like the death of my grandmother (who also loved Punkin) in 2003, Emily's never-ending battle with Type 1 diabetes, even the "World is Coming to An End" scariness of the 9/11 attacks.

No matter how tough my day was at work, no matter how many nasty e-mails I received or complaint calls I got from people telling me my writing stunk or that I was the scum of the earth, Punkin was the first to greet me at the door, letting me know that I may not be the most popular sports writer in the Lehigh Valley, but I was No. 1 with him. And that's all I needed.

With tail and tongue waggin' he lifted my spirits no matter how tired or beaten up I felt mentally. Even when Margie was sleeping, and all I had to look at when I came through the door was a stack of bills to pay, Punkin made me feel better.

He had been struggling for months. Ironically he also contracted diabetes. The diabetes and age sent his health downhill faster than the largest roller coaster at Dorney Park. It happened so fast, I could barely catch my breath.

We tried to keep him going. But once we got one thing under control, something else would crop up.

The worst thing of all was seeing him struggle to walk and have to be carried in and out of the house to go to the bathroom.

He showed me one great sign of life last week. I had warmed up a Brass Rail cheesesteak and I walked past Punkin en route from the kitchen to the den. He was in a deep sleep, but son of a gun, he scrambled to his feet and followed me into the den and the couch. He never learned many tricks but how to "sit" was one of them. He sat right in front of me, begging for a bite of the cheesesteak. He was on a special diet and wasn't supposed to have fast food. But what the heck, I gave up one bite and let him gobble it up.

Now, I wish I had given him the whole thing and let him enjoy.

I wasn't ready to give him up tonight. He had been in and out of an emergency facility and at the Vet all day getting insulin treatments and even though we gathered as a family to send him off (Chris, Emily, Margie and Me -- the same foursome that made that trip to Lehighton in 1997), I was looking for a sign to keep fighting for him.

Had he raised his head one time and looked me in the eye and given me the same look he had always given me when he wanted a bite of a burger or steak or pizza, I would have changed course and tried some other type of treatment, no matter the cost, no matter the time or emotional strain.

But he was so sick that he could barely lift his head. It was a sign that it was time for him to go.

I don't know if he felt my kisses on his forehead or heard my words when I said, "I love you Punkin. You were the best dog a family could have ever had. I will never forget you and I will always keep you in my heart."

I desperately hope he heard those words because I've never said words that I meant more.

Punkin will be missed and I'm going to be looking for him instinctively every time I come through that front door for weeks, months, maybe years to come.

I can only hope anyone who bothers to read this will find something on this earth to give him or her the unconditional love that Punkin gave me and our family for the last 12 years, and in return, feel the joy of giving love to such a beautiful and kind-hearted creature.

Keith Camera 058 I hope I will be able to write about sports again tomorrow. Today, they just don't seem that important.

(Sorry that your eyes look green in this photo buddy. You'll always have a piece of my heart. We'll never forget you).

The Mitchell Insurance Agency, Nationwide Insurance, 32 South Broad Street, Nazareth, PA 18064 will be accepting toys for the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Program. Items should be unwrapped and can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9 until 5 p.m.

Thank you for the support you gave for the fall 2008 Leukemia Used Book/Movie Sale. We were blessed to raise over $1300 for the families with children with Leukemia. We were able to donate to 3 families.

We were hoping to have a book sale this fall but the dates didn't work out with our venue. I just confirmed with St. John's UCC in Nazareth that we will have our book/movie sale on February 20, 2010 from 9:00-2:00.

What can you do to help this year?

1. Ask your child's school, church, or organization to help collect used books/movies. (Let me know which school you will contact so we don't overlap.) Would they be willing to do an email blast to parents/members to alert them to the sale?

2. Volunteer to sort books. (I already have over 1000 books in my basement ready to be sorted.)

3. Volunteer to work a shift at the book sale or the day before for setting up.

4. Agree to have your home as a collection site that I can put on notices.

5. Join the advertisement team. We need people to come up with creative ways to get the news out. We'll meet once or twice before the sale.

6. Email blast your friends, co-workers, neighbors, relatives about the sale. (I will put a document together soon so you can send it out.)

7. Ask your friends to help with our effort. If they want to be added to my email distribution list, let me know.

8. Tell me about a family with a child with Leukemia that needs help with medical expenses.

At this time let's all take a moment and rememeber what Thanksgiving is all about.

It time to say Thanks for everything we been able to accomplished and all the people we have met and to be in love that we have families and time to get all together and meet on Holidays and eat and just spend time together as a family.

At the Dinner Table on Thursday let pause and remember all the people we have lossed.

Also we must remember all the men and women who are fighting for our country in Iraq and hope they all come home safe and sound real soon.I Also want to tell you to not Drink and Drive this weekend.

I Know I Might sound like a Broken Record but there are a lot of idiots out there on the roads during Holidays and you just never know. You might be normal but the person in the other car might be intoxiated and go crazy and run in to your car and then that would be awful.

Just look at my R.I.P. List and see how many great people that we have lossed.

Just this year we have lossed 35 people.

35 people since January. Its very sad.

We need to enjoy being with family and how lucky we are to have Parents. Some people out there don't even have Parents that are alive.

Thursday:THANKSGIVING DAY-HAPPY THANKSGIVING!8:30am Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on ABC69am Macy's New York Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC10am Announce Easton/P-Burg Football on WEEX 123012:30pm NFL FOOTBALL: Green Bay at Detriot2pm AT MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE FOR DINNER4pm NFL Football: Oakland at Dallas8pm NFL Football: NYG At Denver10pm Anchor the news on CW57

Stacia Mendte, Larry Mendte’s daughter from his first marriage, defended her step-mother Dawn Stensland in a letter to the Daily News Monday.

Here it is:RE AJAY Jones’ Nov. 18 letter in response to Regina Medina’s front-page story about Dawn Stensland Mendte:Jones ended her letter with the line “I guess it’s a good thing Dawn Stensland Mendte doesn’t have a daughter. What kind of role model could she possibly be?”

I can answer that. I know for a fact Dawn is a powerful role model for women. How would I know? Dawn is my stepmom, and she has become a very influential and strong woman in my life.

Yes, Dawn stood by her man, my dad. Any woman could divorce and walk away, but it takes a stronger and more powerful woman to forgive. Through the media and legal circus surrounding my dad’s case, she showed poise and class, even as she sat on the anchor desk as Fox29 covered the story. That showed strength, as does her telling her story to the Daily News for other women in similar situations.

And as for Jones’ assertion that the other woman being a “younger version” of Dawn, no, I’m sorry there is no other version of Dawn. Dawn has beauty both inside and out, she has a heart of gold and class. Hmm, maybe for some that will come with age. She has been in my life since I was 12. Those are the most crucial times in any young girl’s life, and I will say that she was a perfect role model and still is.

Dawn is my stepmother, my sister and one of my best friends. Aside from my real mother, I respect and admire Dawn more than any other woman. She was the strength, the heart and the power that kept this family together through a personal and very public ordeal. I thank her for being in my life and showing me the way a strong and moral woman acts.

One should really not place judgment when the whole story has not been told.

Seems the issue of all day Kindergarten is back, according to an article in the Express-Times.

The NASD plans to add all day K to ‘increase test scores’ and it will increase the budget by $300,000+.

Quoted is NJDOE spokesman Rich Vespucci:

"So many families have both parents working and they are going to school boards and saying they want this," Vespucci said. "They're saying, 'We'll pay for it, just put it on the bill. We'll pay for it through our taxes.'"

NASD’s Asst. Superintendent Roth stated, students in those (PILOT all-day K) classes have shown considerable academic improvement (100% on state tests compared to 92% for those part time – and you had to apply to be in all day).

These classes were instituted in 2007 and are consistent with the RAND study findings, which indicate students taking all day K show an immediate, short term improvement, but by grade six there is no measurable difference in reading or math.

You can read about the study and from when this issue was raised two years ago (here, here, and here to name a few) and be sure to read the RAND report on All Day K which debunks many myths about its academic value, here.

The trip on the Highway to Heinz comes to an end on Friday, November 27th as eight teams reach the final destination on the North Shore of Pittsburgh. Eight teams that have all been to Heinz Field and the WPIAL football finals this decade. For Aliquippa and Clairton, they are trying to hoist WPIAL gold for a second straight year. For teams such as Woodland Hills, West Allegheny, Hopewell and Rochester, it has been a few years since they won their most recent district title. For Gateway and Greensburg Central Catholic, they yearn for gold after having to settle for silver in recent years. The schedule for Championship Friday at Heinz Field and here on the MSA Sports Network.

2009 WPIAL CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Gateway Gators (12-0) vs Woodland Hills Wolverines (11-1) AT Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 27th at 7:30pm on msasports.net

2009 WPIAL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

West Allegheny Indians (10-2) vs Hopewell Vikings (12-0) AT Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 27th at 4:30pm on msasports.net

2009 WPIAL CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Aliquippa Quips (11-1) vs Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions (10-2) AT Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 27th at 1:30pm on msasports.ne

2009 WPIAL CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Rochester Rams (12-0) vs Clairton Bears (11-1) AT Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 27th at 10:30am on msasports.net

Tonight I Will be at the Nazareth Wrestling Meet the Wrestlers with my grandpop in the High School Cafe.

Steelers lossed again Sunday. Whats going on with them??? Steelers are Dieing fast anymore. They need to wake up and win!!!!!!!!

I Hope Brenda Fockler is ok. I Heard something about a Tumor in her Hand. I Am worried about her.

Big Fire in Atlantic City Saturday on the Boardwalk, everything was lost. I Wonder if my SEAGULLS Are ok down there.

Winter Sports Started practice Friday!! They even practiced on Sunday!!!!

Rainy Monday.

It was a nice weekend though!

3 days until Turkey Day!

I Will e-mail Wednesday!

No Friday E-Mail this week.

I am doing great!

Had a great weekend!

I Was busy Announcing!!!!

Tough loss for Lafayette Football Saturday in Overtime.

Now its Basketball time, we will be Announcing Lafayette Basketball Tuesday night on RCN4!

Friday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 7pm Announced Wilson vs Central Football Game on RCN4 And at 10pm did the news on CW57 And at 11pm Announced the Season Finale of the Big Ticket on WFMZ!

Saturday listened to Keith Groller on 1470am 9am-11am and at 12:30pm Announced the Overtime thriller between Lafayette and Lehigh Football and at 7pm Announced Catty at Northern Lehigh Football on RCN4 And at 10pm did the news on CW57!

Sunday at 11am did a Eagles Show on CBS 3 And at Noon Announced Basketball on the Big Ten Network and Volleyball at 6pm and at 8pm watched the Eagles game on NBC And at 10pm did the news on CW57.

Breakfast in the Valley has a Thanksgiving Day suggestion and recipe for Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Cake. On Thanksgiving you may also want to consider a game of backyard football, which our girls now think has to take place each year regardless of who shows up that day, and a viewing of Christmas Vacation (thanks Alan, can’t stop reading your FB post with all the quotes)!

Clonehedge celebrates its one year anniversary – congrats!

House to Home has me jealous – peeled back vinyl in the kitchen, found more vinyl, a few other things then hardwood - no such luck in my home. A kitchen makeover is in the works and I’m sure there will be posts to follow – good luck!

Steaming Cup reports on what may be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of – people being arrested for not tipping (read it here). The original story was run in the Express-Times (read it here). Two people were part of a party of eight, and as such a mandatory 18% gratuity was included. To begin, I think it is wrong/illegal to mandate a tip percent. In this case, the people claimed the tip calculation was based on the bill plus tax and should have been on bill only, and that the service was so bad they didn’t earn a tip. Having worked in restaurants as a youth, I typically tip 20% on total of tax and food, but if service is poor I will lower it. I’m sure this was a case where there was more than is publicly known, but really…

Lehigh Valley Ramblings has coverage of the SEIU union assault on Boy Scouts and its aftermath, the attempt to unseat Ron Angle on County Council and pretty much everything else related to local government and politics in the valley – as usual.

Maker Diaries – they haven’t reported in a while, and are good folks with a very interesting site. I know there are a lot of DIY’ers out there, who create, build and make things a lot better than I can, so if you do – snap some pictures, explain what you did or show it with video and photos and email it on over to them. This was neither requested by them nor was I paid to promote;-)

Tatamy Happenings reports there was an apparently heated debate over the fire chief but he survived a reelection bid.

Just in time for the holiday, Joe Owen’s reported in his steaming cup blog earlier this week (missed it then but caught it this morning) that a food drive for the Nazareth Food Bank was very successful. The primary driver was the Minsi Trails Council of the Boy Scouts.

Tonight I Will be at the Nazareth Wrestling Meet the Wrestlers with my grandpop in the High School Cafe.

Steelers lossed again Sunday. Whats going on with them??? Steelers are Dieing fast anymore. They need to wake up and win!!!!!!!!

I Hope Brenda Fockler is ok. I Heard something about a Tumor in her Hand. I Am worried about her.

Big Fire in Atlantic City Saturday on the Boardwalk, everything was lost. I Wonder if my SEAGULLS Are ok down there.

Winter Sports Started practice Friday!! They even practiced on Sunday!!!!

Rainy Monday.

It was a nice weekend though!

3 days until Turkey Day!

I Will e-mail Wednesday!

No Friday E-Mail this week.

I am doing great!

Had a great weekend!

I Was busy Announcing!!!!

Tough loss for Lafayette Football Saturday in Overtime.

Now its Basketball time, we will be Announcing Lafayette Basketball Tuesday night on RCN4!

Friday at 10am did my Radio Show and at 7pm Announced Wilson vs Central Football Game on RCN4 And at 10pm did the news on CW57 And at 11pm Announced the Season Finale of the Big Ticket on WFMZ!

Saturday listened to Keith Groller on 1470am 9am-11am and at 12:30pm Announced the Overtime thriller between Lafayette and Lehigh Football and at 7pm Announced Catty at Northern Lehigh Football on RCN4 And at 10pm did the news on CW57!

Sunday at 11am did a Eagles Show on CBS 3 And at Noon Announced Basketball on the Big Ten Network and Volleyball at 6pm and at 8pm watched the Eagles game on NBC And at 10pm did the news on CW57.